Explosion Suppression Systems

How Chemical Isolation Prevents Propagation

Chemical suppression systems are only as good as the speed at which they activate to protect the vessel and interconnected equipment. Fike’s chemical suppression systems activate in the blink of an eye to suppress the initial explosion and prevent secondary explosions.

What Sets Fike’s Explosion Suppression Systems Apart

Fike explosion suppression systems are designed to detect and chemically suppress up to Class ST III dust explosion hazards, and are often used when venting could expose personnel to dangerous materials. Other advantages include:

Explosion Detection and Controls

How Explosion Suppression Systems Work

A typical explosion detection sequence begins when a spark or other ignition source ignites in a vessel. The resulting deflagration grows at an exponential pace as the material burns. The pressure front preceding the deflagration expands, reaching the pressure detector connected to the explosion protection control panel, which processes 4,000 data points per second.

The system alarms at a preset pressure level, and activates the gas cartridge actuators on the suppression and isolation devices. The system maintains a history of the event for future analysis.

The gas cartridge actuator drives the piston on the isolation valve, closing the slide gate and provides mechanical isolation which prevents the propagation of the explosion through the ductwork to interconnected vessels. The actuator opens a rupture disc on the HRD suppressor bottle that uses nitrogen pressurized to 900 psi to drive suppressant into the vessel, filling the entire cavity and extinguishing the advancing deflagration.

It is also necessary to isolate the deflagration, preventing the transmission of the flame into interconnected vessels. The system simultaneously opens a rupture disc on an SRD isolation container that uses 500 psi of nitrogen, driving suppressant into the ductwork, providing a chemical isolation barrier that prevents the propagation of the explosion.

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In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fike Corporation is taking the following measures to protect our employees and business partners from the virus, limit the spread of the virus in our global communities, and continue to support your business with essential life-safety products and services:

Fike Corporation and subsidiaries remain open for business globally. Our factories remain at full production and are shipping product as normal.

We are taking aggressive actions to ensure our employees and customers are safe.

While our production facilities are not affected, we are currently experiencing some logistics delays with global freight carriers. Our local and global teams are doing everything they can to ensure our products arrive as quickly as possible.

Please contact your local Fike Office or Sales/Customer Service Contact if you have concerns: